Ecosystems &amp; Specieshttp://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/taxonomy/term/47/all
enWWF Climate Blog Has Moved to New Locationhttp://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/wwf-climate-blog-has-moved-new-location
<p>The WWF climate blog now is located at a different Web address: <a href="https://worldwildlife.org/blogs/wwf-climate-blog">worldwildlife.org/blogs/wwf-climate-blog</a>.&nbsp; All posts since May 2013 are at that location, while older posts will remain archived on this site.&nbsp; The new site will have a single RSS feed at <a href="https://worldwildlife.org/blogs/wwf-climate-blog.rss">worldwildlife.org/blogs/wwf-climate-blog.rss</a>.</p>
http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/wwf-climate-blog-has-moved-new-location#commentsClimate Science - GeneralEmissions Data and Trends -- GeneralGeneral Impacts, Adaptation and VulnerabilityHuman HealthCities and TownsCoastal systems and low-lying areasCommercial ServicesEcosystems & SpeciesFood, fiber and forest productsFreshwater resourcesIndustryNational SecurityUtilities and InfrastructureOzone Depletion - GeneralGeneral PolicyNational PlansInternational PolicyUS - Federal PolicyUS - State & Local PolicyAlaskaArcticArctic OceanChinaRegions (General)United StatesAntarcticGeneral OceansGreat PlainsOtherAtlantic OceanMidwestIndian OceanNortheastNorthwestPacific OceanSoutheastSouthern OceanSouthwestAfrica OceansPolar RegionsSmall Island StatesAsiaCentral and South AmericaAustralia and New ZealandEuropeNorth AmericaSlowing Climate Change (General)AgricultureEnergy SupplyForestsGeoengineeringIndustryResidential and Commercial BuildingsTransportationWaste Management AmazonAmur-HeilongArcticBorneo and SumatraChihuahuan DesertCoastal East AfricaCongo BasinCoral TriangleEastern HimalayasGalapagosGulf of CaliforniaMadagascarMekongMesoamerican ReefNamibiaNorthern Great PlainsOcean Acidification (General)Southern ChileYangtzeEarth Hour City ChallengeTue, 02 Jul 2013 17:43:30 +0000Nick Sundt825 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateU.S. Unveils Arctic Strategy while Announcing that Atmospheric Concentrations of Carbon Dioxide Have Surpassed Historic Levelhttp://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/us-unveils-arctic-strategy-atmospheric-concentrations-CO2-levels-hit-400ppm
<p>The White House on Friday (10 May 2013) released a <em>National Strategy for the Arctic Region</em>, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that daily average atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) had on 9 May surpassed for the first time on record 400.00 parts per million (ppm) at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. The rise in CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations, largely driven by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, is rapidly warming the Arctic.&nbsp; The strategy acknowledges that &ldquo;<em>the current warming trend is unlike anything previously recorded</em>&rdquo; and that &ldquo;<em>there may be potentially profound environmental consequences of continued ocean warming and Arctic ice melt</em>.&rdquo; The document recognizes the Administration&rsquo;s &ldquo;<em>global objective of combating the climatic changes that are driving these environmental conditions.</em>&rdquo; But the strategy also invokes U.S. security interests to argue that that &ldquo;<em>[c]ontinuing to responsibly develop Arctic oil and gas resources aligns with the United States `all of the above&rsquo; approach to developing new domestic energy sources</em>.&rdquo; In the absence of a U.S. low-carbon development strategy, is not clear how the U.S. ultimately will reconcile expanded fossil fuel production in the region with its commitment to combat climate change.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/us-unveils-arctic-strategy-atmospheric-concentrations-CO2-levels-hit-400ppm" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/us-unveils-arctic-strategy-atmospheric-concentrations-CO2-levels-hit-400ppm#commentsCoastal systems and low-lying areasEcosystems & SpeciesFood, fiber and forest productsIndustryNational SecurityUtilities and InfrastructureNational PlansAlaskaArcticArctic OceanUnited StatesOceansPolar RegionsNorth AmericaSlowing Climate Change (General)Energy SupplyArcticMon, 13 May 2013 19:21:51 +0000Nick Sundt819 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateStudy Predicts Dramatic Decline in Plants and Animals Unless Greenhouse Gas Emissions are Sharply Reducedhttp://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/study-predicts-dramatic-decline-plants-and-animals-unless-greenhouse-gas-emissions-are-sharp
<p>An international team of researchers reported today (Sunday 12 May 2013) in the journal <em>Nature Climate Change,</em> that the climate disruption from rapidly rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could result in a dramatic decline in more than one half of the world&rsquo;s common plants and one third of the animals by the end of the century.&nbsp; &ldquo;<em>Our research predicts that climate change will greatly reduce the diversity of even very common species found in most parts of the world</em>,&rdquo; said Dr Rachel Warren, leader of the study from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. &ldquo;<em>This loss of global-scale biodiversity would significantly impoverish the biosphere and the ecosystem services it provides</em>.&rdquo;&nbsp; She said the loss could be prevented with &ldquo;swift action to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gases.&rdquo;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/study-predicts-dramatic-decline-plants-and-animals-unless-greenhouse-gas-emissions-are-sharp" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/study-predicts-dramatic-decline-plants-and-animals-unless-greenhouse-gas-emissions-are-sharp#commentsEcosystems & SpeciesInternational PolicySlowing Climate Change (General)Sun, 12 May 2013 17:14:17 +0000Nick Sundt818 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateScientists Release Findings of Arctic Ocean Acidification Assessment, Warn of Emerging Impacts on Vital Commercial Fisherieshttp://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/scientists-release-findings-arctic-ocean-acidification-assessment-may-2013
<p>An international group of scientists on Monday (6 May 2013) released the findings of their <em>Arctic Ocean Acidification Assessment</em>.&nbsp; The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), which commissioned the research, said in a press release that the Arctic Ocean &quot;<em>is rapidly accumulating carbon dioxide (CO2) leading to increased ocean acidification...This ongoing change impacts Arctic marine ecosystems already affected by rising temperatures and melting sea ice</em>.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp; AMAP warns that &quot;<em>Arctic Ocean acidification has the potential to affect both commercial fisheries that are important to northern economies, and marine resources that are used by Arctic indigenous people</em>.&quot;&nbsp;</p>
<p></p><p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/scientists-release-findings-arctic-ocean-acidification-assessment-may-2013" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/scientists-release-findings-arctic-ocean-acidification-assessment-may-2013#commentsGeneral Impacts, Adaptation and VulnerabilityEcosystems & SpeciesArcticArctic OceanOceansPolar RegionsSlowing Climate Change (General)ArcticOcean Acidification (General)Mon, 06 May 2013 19:39:15 +0000Nick Sundt816 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateWith Rapid Warming in Northern Latitudes, Massive Shift is Underway in Growing Seasons and Vegetationhttp://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/rapid-warming-northern-latitudes-massive-shift-underway-growing-seasons-and-vegetation
<p>An international team of researchers has found that rapid warming in northern latitudes has resulted in a decline in temperature seasonality --&nbsp; the difference between summer and winter temperatures -- which in turn has shifted growing seasons in the region.&nbsp; <em>&quot;Results show temperature and vegetation growth at northern latitudes now resemble those found 4 degrees to 6 degrees of latitude farther south as recently as 1982</em>,&quot; says NASA in a press release today (10 March 2013).&nbsp; &quot;<em>This landscape resembles what was found 250 to 430 miles (400 to 700 kilometers) to the south in 1982</em>,&quot;&nbsp; the agency explains.&nbsp; &quot;<em>It&#39;s like Winnipeg, Manitoba, moving to Minneapolis-Saint Paul in only 30 years</em>,&quot; said co-author Compton Tucker of NASA&#39;s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.&nbsp; <em>&quot;The global implications of these large shifts in a region covering a fifth of our planet cannot be understated</em>,&quot; says Martin Sommerkorn Head of Conservation for WWF&#39;s Global Arctic Programme.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/rapid-warming-northern-latitudes-massive-shift-underway-growing-seasons-and-vegetation" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/rapid-warming-northern-latitudes-massive-shift-underway-growing-seasons-and-vegetation#commentsEcosystems & SpeciesFood, fiber and forest productsArcticPolar RegionsArcticSun, 10 Mar 2013 23:31:01 +0000Nick Sundt797 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateTracking Pacific Walrus: Expedition to the Shrinking Chukchi Sea Ice (video)http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/tracking-pacific-walrus-expedition-shrinking-chukchi-sea-ice-video
<p>This&nbsp;twelve minute video from the U.S. Geological Survey&nbsp;(USGS) starts with the biologists describing some of the many endearing qualities of walruses,&nbsp; explaining how important sea ice is to the animals and why the decline of that ice is so disruptive and threatening -- not just to the walruses but for the people of the region.&nbsp; The second half of the video shows how USGS biologists use satellite radio tags to track the&nbsp;movement&nbsp;and behavior of the walruses. &quot;<em>The information identifies areas of special importance to walruses during sparse summer sea ice and as human presence increases in the region from oil drilling and activities such as shipping and tourism now possible with less ice</em>,&quot;&nbsp;says the USGS. In addition to the video, we provide a transcript.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/tracking-pacific-walrus-expedition-shrinking-chukchi-sea-ice-video" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/tracking-pacific-walrus-expedition-shrinking-chukchi-sea-ice-video#commentsEcosystems & SpeciesAlaskaArcticArctic OceanUnited StatesOceansPolar RegionsNorth AmericaArcticMon, 19 Nov 2012 21:21:38 +0000Nick Sundt779 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate13th National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment: Disasters and Environment -- Science, Preparedness, and Resiliencehttp://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/13th-national-conference-science-policy-and-environment-disasters-and-environment-science-pr
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<span class="date-display-start">Tuesday, January 15, 2013 (All day)</span><span class="date-display-separator"> - </span><span class="date-display-end">Thursday, January 17, 2013 (All day)</span> </div>
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Washington, DC </div>
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<p><em><span style="font-size: 14px"><span style="font-family: tahoma,geneva,sans-serif">&quot;On January 15-17, 2013, join over 1,200 leaders from the emergency response, scientific, policy, conservation, and business communities, as well as federal and local government officials, to address themes such as cascading disasters, the intersection of the built and natural environments, disasters as mechanisms of ecosystem change, rethinking recovery and expanding the vision of mitigation, human behavior and its consequences and &quot;No Regrets&quot; resilience.&quot;</span></span></em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/13th-national-conference-science-policy-and-environment-disasters-and-environment-science-pr" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/13th-national-conference-science-policy-and-environment-disasters-and-environment-science-pr#commentsGeneral Impacts, Adaptation and VulnerabilityHuman HealthCities and TownsCoastal systems and low-lying areasCommercial ServicesEcosystems & SpeciesFood, fiber and forest productsFreshwater resourcesIndustryNational SecurityUtilities and InfrastructureGeneral PolicyUS - Federal PolicyUS - State & Local PolicyUnited StatesNorth AmericaEarth Hour City ChallengeWed, 17 Oct 2012 19:49:25 +0000Nick Sundt764 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateWith Inadequate Sea Ice North of Alaska, Walruses Haul-Out Along Russian Coasthttp://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/walruses-haul-out-along-russian-coast-4oct2012
<p>We reported last week (26 September 2012), that sea ice in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska had declined to the point where the National Ice Center had characterized an area preferred by walruses (Hanna Shoal) as open water. Without the sea ice they needed to rest on, walruses were headed ashore in search of a suitable area of coastal land where they could &quot;haul out.&quot; We and others expected large numbers of walruses to haul out in the area of Point Lay, Alaska, where they have hauled out in recent years. But most of the walruses instead opted to continue swimming far to the West, to haul out in the vicinity of Russia's Cape Serdtse-Kamen -- joining other walruses already hauled out there. Though we cannot yet confirm that large numbers of walruses are hauling out at the remote cape, that certainly was the case last year. By mid-October 2011, an estimated (and astounding) 100,000 walruses from both the U.S. and Russian sides of the Chukchi, had hauled out there.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/walruses-haul-out-along-russian-coast-4oct2012" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/walruses-haul-out-along-russian-coast-4oct2012#commentsEcosystems & SpeciesAlaskaArcticArctic OceanUnited StatesOceansPolar RegionsAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaArcticFri, 05 Oct 2012 17:10:03 +0000Nick Sundt759 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateMake Tracks for Walruses: Second Annual WCS Run for the Wild http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/make-tracks-walruses-second-annual-wcs-run-wild
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<span class="date-display-single">Saturday, October 6, 2012 - 8:00am</span> </div>
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New York City </div>
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<p>Sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society at the New York Aquarium at Coney Island to support its work to save walruses.&nbsp; Check-in and registration opens at 7:00 a.m. Runners start at 8:00 a.m. and the Family Fun Run/Walk starts at 8:45 a.m.&nbsp; See registration and other information at the <a href="http://e.wcs.org/site/PageNavigator/RFTW_AQ_homepage.html">Run for the Wild Web site.</a></p>
http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/make-tracks-walruses-second-annual-wcs-run-wild#commentsEcosystems & SpeciesAlaskaArcticArctic OceanUnited StatesNortheastOceansPolar RegionsNorth AmericaArcticThu, 04 Oct 2012 22:08:33 +0000Nick Sundt758 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateIn Alaska's Chukchi Sea: Shell Resumes Offshore Drilling as Nearby Walruses are Forced Onshore http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/walrus-haulout-newsflash-28sep2012
<p>The story of this year's Arctic sea ice decline did not end on 16 September when the sea ice reached its official minimum extent for the Arctic overall. The decline has continued in the Chukchi Sea -- with momentous consequences. While the National Ice Center indicated that a large &quot;marginal ice zone&quot; was present north of Alaska on 16 September, that zone continued to decline and on 24 September the marginal ice zone had been entirely replaced by open water.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/walrus-haulout-newsflash-28sep2012" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/walrus-haulout-newsflash-28sep2012#commentsCoastal systems and low-lying areasEcosystems & SpeciesAlaskaArcticArctic OceanUnited StatesOceansPolar RegionsNorth AmericaEnergy SupplyArcticWed, 26 Sep 2012 23:27:45 +0000Nick Sundt754 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateWith Record Low Sea Ice Extent, Polar Bears Persevere on Marginal Ice -- or on Landhttp://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/record-low-sea-ice-extent-polar-bears-persevere-marginal-ice-or-land
<p>On Saturday, 15 September -- the day before the Arctic sea ice extent reached its record low -- a scientist aboard the USGS Healy spotted a polar bear struggling across thin ice.&nbsp; Her photos capture a situation facing growing numbers of polar bears as sea ice extent declines, and the ice grows thinner,&nbsp;in response to warming conditions. The bears must persevere on marginal ice or swim in search of suitable sea ice -- both far from preferred coastal waters; or they must abandon the ice altogether and swim to land.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/record-low-sea-ice-extent-polar-bears-persevere-marginal-ice-or-land" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/record-low-sea-ice-extent-polar-bears-persevere-marginal-ice-or-land#commentsEcosystems & SpeciesAlaskaArcticArctic OceanUnited StatesOceansPolar RegionsNorth AmericaArcticMon, 24 Sep 2012 15:48:25 +0000Nick Sundt753 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate"An Unprecedented Planetary Distress Signal": Arctic Sea Ice Extent Bottoms Out at a Record Lowhttp://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/arctic-sea-ice-extent-bottoms-out-record-low-19sep2012
<p>The U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center today (19 Sept 2012) announced that the extent of Arctic sea ice reached an annual minimum of 1.32 million square miles, the lowest sea ice extent on record (since 1979 when satellites started to regularly monitor the ice). The extraordinary sea ice decline has enormous implications in the region, and has consequences that extend well south&nbsp;of the Arctic. &ldquo;In a year of record-breaking extremes, shocking has become the new normal,&quot; says Lou Leonard,&nbsp;Managing Director for Climate Change at&nbsp;WWF-US.&nbsp;&quot;But what&rsquo;s happened in the Arctic this summer should be on the front page of every newspaper. This is an unprecedented planetary distress signal.&rdquo;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/arctic-sea-ice-extent-bottoms-out-record-low-19sep2012" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/arctic-sea-ice-extent-bottoms-out-record-low-19sep2012#commentsCoastal systems and low-lying areasEcosystems & SpeciesAlaskaArcticArctic OceanUnited StatesNorth AmericaArcticWed, 19 Sep 2012 21:33:05 +0000Nick Sundt750 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateAlaska climate webinar to discuss Bristol Bay salmonhttp://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/alaska-climate-webinar-discuss-bristol-bay-salmon
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<span class="date-display-single">Wednesday, September 26, 2012 - <span class="date-display-start">10:00am</span><span class="date-display-separator"> - </span><span class="date-display-end">11:00am</span></span> </div>
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<div class="sep">A webinar, <em>Climate Change and Potential Impacts on Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon Populations</em> will take place Wednesday, Sept. 26 2012 from 10 -11 a.m. AKDT.&nbsp; The event will be hosted by the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy.</div>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/alaska-climate-webinar-discuss-bristol-bay-salmon" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/alaska-climate-webinar-discuss-bristol-bay-salmon#commentsEcosystems & SpeciesAlaskaUnited StatesNorth AmericaArcticMon, 17 Sep 2012 23:34:55 +0000Nick Sundt749 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateAl Jazeera: NASA: Arctic sea ice reaches record low (video)http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/al-jazeera-nasa-arctic-sea-ice-reaches-record-low-video
<p class="rteleft">Al Jazeera's Nick Clark reports from the Last Ice Area -- the northwest coast of Greenland and Canada&rsquo;s High Arctic Islands -- aboard the Arctic Tern 1.&nbsp; It is the first of four reports in a special series from WWF's <a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/last_ice_area/siku/">Sailing to Siku voyage</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/al-jazeera-nasa-arctic-sea-ice-reaches-record-low-video" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/al-jazeera-nasa-arctic-sea-ice-reaches-record-low-video#commentsCoastal systems and low-lying areasEcosystems & SpeciesArcticArctic OceanOceansPolar RegionsArcticThu, 06 Sep 2012 22:44:07 +0000wwfclimate741 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climateAl Jazeera: Arctic way of living 'under threat' (video)http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/al-jazeera-arctic-way-living-under-threat-video
<p>Al Jazeera's Nick Clark reports from Qerqertat, Greenland, the northernmost civilian community in the second of four reports&nbsp; from the Last Ice Area -- the northwest coast of Greenland and Canada&rsquo;s High Arctic Islands.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/al-jazeera-arctic-way-living-under-threat-video" target="_blank">read more</a></p>http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate/content/al-jazeera-arctic-way-living-under-threat-video#commentsCoastal systems and low-lying areasEcosystems & SpeciesArcticArctic OceanOceansPolar RegionsArcticThu, 06 Sep 2012 21:44:15 +0000wwfclimate742 at http://www.wwfblogs.org/climate